Method for blood vessel connection



J 1956 KOMEI NAKAYAMA ETAL 3,258,012

METHOD FOR BLOOD VESSEL CONNECTION Filed June 20, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNV EN TORS (0M F1 IVA KA Y4 MA and SEA 20 Mill/MM BY (Art-M1.

ATTORNEY) June 28, 1966 KOMEI NAKAYAMA ETAL 3,258,012

METHOD FOR BLOOD VESSEL CONNECTION Filed June 20, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Kant! AMKAYAM l and SEA/Z0 Mull/K4 W4 BY M June 1966 KOMEI NAKAYAMA ETAL 3,253,012

METHOD FOR BLOOD VESSEL CONNECTION Filed June 20, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS KdMfl NAKA YAMA and 55mm lV/SIUKAWA h 711 KIM. .4 M/

United States Patent 3,258,012 METHOD FOR BLOOD VESSEL CONNECTION Komei Nakayama and Senzo Nishikawa, Chiba, Japan, assignors to Risaburo Aolti, Tokyo, Japan Filed June 20, 1262, Ser. No. 203,888 Claims priority, application Japan, June 30, 1961,

Sac/23,1311 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-434) This invention relates in general to a method for securing blood vessels together, and in particular to a new and useful arrangement of forceps and needle disc elements for aligning the securing blood vessels together.

The present invention is an improvement over the old methods of hand assembling, tying and sewing blood vessels.

In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to perform very complicated surgery with the aid of simple apparatus for insuring alignment of blood vessels and the tying together thereof. In accordance with the invention, the tying together of blood vessels is facil itated by means of a pair of cooperating needle disc members, each of which includes an annular fiat base with alternately spaced projecting needle elements or needle receiving bores. By means of a novel forceps construction, one of the needle elements is advantageously gripped for the forceps and a blood vessel is directed through a central bore of such element. The outer ends of, the vessel are then aligned in a larger bore portion of the forceps by means of a novel insertion aid element and the peripheral walls of the blood vessel are directed over the needles of the needle disc to hold the vessel securely in position.

A similar forceps is also used to hold another vessel which is to be connected, and the procedure of aligning the blood vessel in a bore of the needle disc and for securing it to the pins projecting therefrom is followed, utilizing the insertion aid. With the two vessels thus aligned in associated needle discs, the forceps are then brought together so that the needles of one disc project into the bores of the opposite disc. The forceps are constructed in a novel manner so that upon the application of pressure on the forceps to move them together, the needles are bent around the edges of the blood vessel in order to form a tight and secure blood vessel connection.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of securing blood vessels together which includes directing a blood vessel through a bore of a needle disc and then anchoring the exterior wall thereof peripherally on circumferentially spaced needles thereon, thereafter centering the blood vessel in relation to a central bore of the disc, clamping the blood vessel thus anchored to the needle disc to another blood vessel similarly anchored by inserting needles of the discs into the bores, and directing the needles around the discs to hold them in clamping engagement.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claim annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a pair of forceps (left and right) which are employed for holding needle discs and blood vessels clamped thereto for uniting the blood vessels by moving the forceps together in clamping engagement in accordance with the invention;

ice

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the upper end of the forceps indicated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are front elevational views of the left and right needle discs, respectively;

FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of the upper portion of the forceps indicated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a transverse section of an insertion aid employed in the connecting of blood vessels together in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 9 is a front elevationof the insertion aid;

FIG.10 is a section similar to FIG. 3, but with a needle disc positioned in the forceps and showing a blood vessel extending through the central bore of the needle disc and connected to the needle elements thereof;

FIG. 11 is a section similar to FIG. 10 but indicating the insertion aid in position;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 10, but with the other forceps indicated in position for clamping the other blood vessel to the first blood vessel;

FIG. 13 is a View similar to FIG. 12, but indicating a position with the forceps held together in tight clamping relationship to cause the needle discs to be clamped together;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the clamping connection of the blood vessels after it has been completed; and

FIG. 15 is a front elevation of the clamping connection indicated in FIG. 14.

Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention provides means for securing blood vessels together utilizing the apparatus and method in accordance with the invention.

For the preferred method, a pair of forceps generally designated A and B are provided for securing needle discs to the associated blood vessels. The forceps advantageously include the usual handle portions a, a and b, b also the clamping portions a, a and b, b for the forceps A and B, respectively. The clamping sections of the forceps are each provided with semicircular grooved openings or clamping portions adapted to receive needle discs for securing each blood vessel. The invention is advantageously carried out with needle discs C which advantageously include a plurality of circumferentially spaced needles 2 between which are provided bores of openings 3 of a slightly larger diameter than such needles. Two discs C, C are required for tying two sets of blood vessels together after the blood vessels are first centered in respect to a central bore 4 of such discs and then secured to the needle elements 2 thereof.

In a preferred arrangement, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 7, the discs C are fitted into an annular groove 11 defined at one side of the cross-sectional thickness of the forceps elements A and B. The groove is defined to receive flat top surfaces 20 of the needle discs C and to hold the discs with the needles 2 projecting outwardly from the adjacent side of the forceps (see FIG. 10). A bore 4 is defined by each pair of the cooperating clamping elements a, a and b, b of the forceps A and B, and this bore aligns with the bore 4 of the needle disc element.

In accordance with the preferred method of the invention, a needle disc element C is first placed in one-half portion of the groove 11 formed in each of the parts a, a of the forceps A by opening the forceps and then closing them to cause complete engagement of the disc element in the whole forceps groove. Thereafter a blood vessel d is directed through the bore 4 of the forceps and the bore 4 of the needle disc C. The peripheral walls of the blood vessel are pressed over the points of the needles 2 and peripherally secured thereon to initially anchor the blood vessel in position on the disc (see FIG. 10).

After this operation has been completed, an insertion aid generally designated e is employed to secure the blood vessel and to accurately align the central passage thereof. The insertion aid 0, as indicated in FIGS. 8, 9 and 1 1, includes a cylindrical portion 8 terminating in a flange 9 having a plurality of circumferentially spaced bores 9 which align with the needles 2 so that the fiange may be inserted against the needle disc C with the flange 9 abutting against the flat portion 20. The insertion aid also includes a finger gripping portion 22 and a plunger element including a handle 12 and a widened blood vessel centering plunger member 10.

The insertion aid is positioned so that the bores 9 align with the needles 2 and the aid is pressed against the forceps, the flange portion 9 causing the walls of the blood vessel to be deflected backwardly into the groove 11. The plunger 12 is then pushed with the thumb of the hand to align the plunger element 10 inside the blood vessel and thus anchor this blood vessel relatively to the forceps A until the other blood vessel is similiarly secured. The forceps are maintained closed in gripping engagement with the needle disc C.

Thereafter, the other forceps is provided with, a needle disc C and a blood vessel is aligned with it in the same manner as the previous blood vessel.

A feature of the forceps construction is that the round concave groove 11 includes inclined walls 5 which are provided to deflect the needles around the edges of the adjacent disc C when two discs with blood vessels are to be secured together. Cutouts 6 are defined on each base 20 to facilitate adjustment of the discs. The cutout 6 of each disc fits over a projection 6 defined in each of the forceps grooves 11.

When the forceps A and B are brought together as indicated in FIG. 12, the needles of one disc held by one forceps are aligned with the holes in the disc held by the opposite forceps. The forceps are then brought together under pressure as indicated in FIG. 13, causing the needles to be deflected around the inclined edges 5 of the groove as the discs are pressed ever closer together. Through this bending and returning operation, both ends of the blood vessels are connected together and secured in proper alignment. The blood vessels are maintained in strong connection by the needle discs which are interconnected by the bending over of the needles as indicated in FIGS. 14 and 15.

The forceps of the invention are especially designed with the groove for receiving the associated needle discs and the combination of the forceps with the discs facilitates the alignment and the securing of the blood vessels and the interconnection of one blood vessel with another. The arrangement permits the discs to anchor the ends of the vessels and to insure that the connection is made by the bending of the needles when the forceps are brought together. The insertion aid which is employed with the forceps and the needle discs insures the complete protection of the blood vessel ends and it further insures that the central passages of the vessels are opened and that the walls are secured in a uniform manner.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

A method of connecting blood vessels using a pair of needle discs having alternately placed projecting needles and receiving bores on an annular base member, and forceps having clamping jaws forming, when clamped together, an annular groove in which the discs may be positioned, comprising directing a first blood vessel through a bore of the forceps and a needle disc positioned in the groove thereof and securing the outer walls of the blood vessel to the needles projecting therefrom, directing a second blood vessel through a second forceps through the bore thereof and the bore of a needle disc held thereby and anchoring the walls to the needles projecting therefrom, positioning the two of said forceps so that the needles of one disc align with the openings defined in the other, and pressing the forceps together to cause the needles of one disc to enter the bores of the other and to deflect the needles around the exterior walls of opposing discs to interlock said discs and said blood vessels.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,659,112 2/1928 Littlejohn 128-322 1,918,889 7/1933 Bacon 128-322 2,453,056 11/1948 Zack 128334 2,638,901 5/1953 Sugarbaker 128-334 2,897,561 8/1959 Megibow 24-95 2,940,452 6/1960 Smialowski 128334 2,965,900 12/1960 Inokouchi 128'334 X 55 10/1962 Smialowski et a1. 128-334 OTHER REFERENCES Operative Surgery, Bickham, vol. II, 1924, page 12, published by W. B. Saunders, Inc.

A Practical Mechanical Method of End-to-End Anastomosis of Blood-Vessels, from Journal of American Medical Association, Lespinasse et al., Nov. 19, 1910, volume LV, pp. 1785-90.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Examiner.

DALTON L. TRULUCK, Assistant Examiner. 

